Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Edict Against Shriners in Michigan To Be Lifted

Mike Spensley, Potentate of Moslem Shrine in Michigan, reports that Dean Barr, Most Worshipful Grand Master of the State of Michigan and Alan Madsen Imperial Potentate of Shriners International have met today. The Grand Master has agreed to lift the edict over Michigan Shriners immediately.

Shrine now has an Imperial Potentate that understands what Freemasonry is all about. He wants to work one on one with the Grand Masters to resolve the issues. He will do a great job for Shrine.Richard Melvin from New Hmpshire

The relationship between the Imperial Shrine and ALL Grand Lodges has a built in fatal flaw. That is, there is no central source of power with the Grand Lodges, as there is in the Shrine. As a result, the Imperial Shrine has way too many "masters". Individual Grand Lodges have different sets of rules, whereas the Shrine has one. The problem in Michigan is a clear example of how those flaws come to light. The Grand Master acted within his power, but the Imperial Potentate didn't take an obligation to uphold the bylaws of the state of Michigan, he took it to uphold the bylaws of Shriners Internatioinal. Those bylaws determine what he can and cannot do. He followed those bylaws and the matter is now concluded. The disharmony was created not by the men involved, but by the rules of different organizations. Nowhere has the problem reached the level of disharmony as it has in Arkansas. There the Grand Master not only withdrew recognition of the Shrine, he also prohibited Shriners from taking children in need to the hospitols! To prohibit Masons, ANY Masons, from helping children is the greatest example of un-Masonic conduct ever known! Yet the Grand Master of Arkansas is still in office. There is no source of power that can remove him. The conference of Grand Masters took no action to rebuke him. All Grand lodges still have relations with Arkansas. It is clear to me that the time has come to make the Shrine an independant body. Like it or not, the Shrine is the public face of Masonry. It clearly has the most wealth. It is intolerable that an outside body can bring an entire states Shriners to a standstill. This does not require a choice between the Shrine and the Blue Lodge. I would hope that all members would remain in both bodies. It would only mean that you don't have be to one to be the other. In the end, it may be the only solution to the problem.

BigClem. The Grand Master in Michigan did not prohibit Michigan Masons from transporting children to the hospitols. However the grand master of arkansas did. He specifically prohibited ANY Arkansas Mason from participation in ANY manner with the Shrine under threat of expulsion. You are missing the point. The bylaws of the state of Michigan were followed by the GM. The Imperial bylaws were followed by the Imperial Potentate. When they ran their course the matter was concluded. The problem is that according to the bylaws of the Shrine, the GM's expulsion isn't "final" until the Grand Lodge confirms it in session. Until it is final, the Imperial Potentate can't act. Once it became final, he did act and the matter is now resolved. If the members in Michigan want to change the law and make it final when the GM takes action, they can do that at a Grand Lodge session. This of course would mean that if you are expelled, there is no right to appeal. That is a lot of power to give an individual who holds office for only a year and whose decision will have an impact on the individual brothers entire life. Just saying, you can't have it both ways.

ATTENTION!Kindly sign your comment posts. Anonymous postings on Masonic topics have the same status as cowans and eavesdroppers, as far as I am concerned, and may be deleted if I don't recognize you or if I'm in a grumpy mood.

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